Sweet tooth is in the genes - Brief Article

Science News, April 15, 2000 by T.H.

Taste researchers have narrowed the search for the sweet tooth gene, at least in mice, to a 100-gene region, says Gary K. Beauchamp of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

Twenty different sweeteners appear to activate the gene, says Beauchamp. That suggests it might encode a protein signaling sweetness rather than a receptor on the tongue, which would typically be more specific. People may have a similar gene, although studies of twins have failed to show a genetic link to sweet preference, he says.